Month: January 2017

Reading time: 2 mins A photo posted by Gordon McLean (@gmclean) on Jan 8, 2017 at 2:53pm PST There is no doubt that since getting my Apple Watch the three little coloured circles that appear on my watch face have helped me realise just how little I used to move. Since then, and admittedly with a change of job and a more ‘walking’ based commute, I’ve been noticeably more mobile, but what has struck me is how effective this simple little case of gamification has been. The Activity circles on the Apple Watch cover three categories, Move, Exercise, and Stand. The Move category (the red circle) is a weekly target based on estimated calories burned every day. It’s the only one that is easily …

Reading time: 3 mins I love mornings like this, the late winter chill fading away as the sun climbs lazily into the sky. I can feel the gentle dew on my extremities starting to warm, and the ground beneath me stirring into life. There is a gentle breeze playing over my naked branches and I find myself yearning for spring, for the new growth it will bring, leaves that will play in the wind, I long for their rhythmic rustle. I miss my little snowdrop friends already but soon the daffodils will start to appear, tiny glowing suns that never fail to brighten my day. Over on the other side of the field I can see the humans arriving on their machines, so noisy …

Reading time: 4 mins A billion dollar gift for Twitter Listen, it’s almost 2017, so it’s absurd to still be writing “how to save Twitter” thinkpieces. My use of Twitter is waning. It might just be the usual cycle of the mehs, but I’m finding myself increasingly less bothered about it recently. But Really, Why DO We Post So Many Food Pics? There is no sincerer love than the love of food. – George Bernard Shaw And no, it’s not JUST because we are all fat bastards (what? just me, ohh ok then) Things I read this year: My favourite books of 2016 2016 has basically been a left-up toilet seat of a year, but it wasn’t all terrible. Some great books were published …

Reading time: 4 mins HAPPY NEW YEAR! (I know, it’s a bit late) Ohhh dearest reader, what a wonderous time, the probability of hope, the desire to finally be a better me!!! And so, in this year of two thousand and seventeen I resolve to… ummm… well I’m not really sure. Towards the end of last year I saw, and read, a few articles that promised to help you ‘Achieve your goals in 2017’ or variations on that theme. Many people start the new year by making resolutions. I don’t. Digression: Resolutions always remind me of the story of my Dad sitting in our front room next to the hearth. Just after the bells he asked a neighbour what her new year resolution was. …

Reading time: 3 mins Mental health issues can be violent, invasive and debilitating illnesses, chasing you around and demanding your full attention to the detriment of others. They can also be a gentle inhibitor, a subtle manipulator that sits quietly in the background influencing everything, all day, every day, even if we aren’t fully aware of it because it hides from view, somewhere just out of reach. The black dog versus the dark cloud. The black dog hasn’t been around me for a long time, but the dark cloud is never really that far away, floating around in the dark corners of my brain, dust particles captured in sunlight. One of the reasons I keep busy and push push push to do better do …